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Vampire hunters (history preceding Blood Omen)
• • |introduced = Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain (1996)}} Moebius's Mercenary Army, also known as Moebius's Peoples Army, Moebius's Vampire Hunters or simply Vampire Hunters, were a vampire hunting faction in Nosgoth's Pre- and Blood Omen eras in the second and later timelines. Led by Moebius, the order was founded in the Pre-Blood Omen era after Kain's murder of King William the Just (orchestrated by Moebius) changed history causing William's grief-stricken subjects to develop a genocidal hatred of Vampires. Fifty years after its foundation the execution of Vorador, last of the eras vampires left the vampire race virtually extinct, with unique vampire Kain the last survivor of the species. After the death of Moebius and extermination of the vampires, the hunters adapted to new threats, becoming Demon hunters. History Origins Moebius's Army had its roots in the time-manipulations of Moebius and Kain in the Pre-Blood Omen era. In the First timeline, Kain would witness the rise of the Legions of the Nemesis who would come to dominate Nosgoth, as Moebius's corrupting influence turned the young boy-king William the Just into the tyrant 'the Nemesis'. Years later, having experienced the final victory of the Nemesis , Kain was transported fifty years into the past and presented with the opportunity to alter history, unaware he being manipulated by Moebius. Seeking to assassinate the young-boy king before he became the Nemesis, Kain traveled to the Stronghold of William the Just and confronted William, shortly after a meeting with Moebius. With both Kain and William armed with the Soul Reaver blade, a paradox was created, allowing Kain to change history and murder William before his time. Confident he had thwarted Moebius's plans, Kain returned to the present, not realizing the true scale of the changes he had made. Moebius took advantage of Kain's reckless act and with William dying as a martyred saint, he was able to galvanize William's grief-stricken citizens into a genocidal hatred of vampires. Backed by popular support, Moebius organized a new vampire purge, raising an army of hired mercenaries to hunt down the vampires. Later History By the time Raziel arrived in the Pre-Blood Omen era a few years after William's death, Moebius's hunters, though somewhat disorganized, had become a major force in Nosgoth and their vampire purges had begun to have a devastating effect on vampire populations. The mercenaries lionized the legendary crusades of the Sarafan and William's martyrdom and had taken control of the former Sarafan Stronghold and appropriately decorated it with chapels dedicated to the fallen martyrs of the past. Apparently assisted by technology that immobilized the vampires (such as Moebius's Staff) the army was acknowledged (by elder vampire Vorador) as already close to accomplishing the complete extinction of the vampires and eclipsing their predecessors. The height of the order would occur in the Blood Omen era fifty years after William's death and by this time the victory of the hunters was nearly complete, with few vampires remaining. When Kain returned from his excursion into the past changing history, he was soon assailed by Vampire hunters and began to grasp that something was amiss. Following the sound of cheers and the scent of vampire blood, Kain came across a crowd of citizens gathered to watch as the last of the eras vampires, Vorador, was guillotined Vorador: "The most ancient and powerful (/One of the most important) of Nosgoth’s surviving vampires, Vorador has seen his kind oppressed and persecuted throughout history, and has come to regard humans as little more than brutish cattle. During the time of the Sarafan crusade, Vorador infiltrated their stronghold and took his revenge on the Circle for their sponsorship of the vampire purge. After slaughtering six of the Guardians, Vorador retreated from the world in disillusionment and renounced the affairs of mankind. Nearly five centuries later, however, Kain’s’ ill-fated assassination of William the Just re-ignited the human’s genocidal hatred of vampires. This reckless act ultimately led to the annihilation of the vampires, and Vorador was eventually captured and executed by Moebius and his mercenary army of vampire hunters." Prima Games. [[Prima's Official Strategy Guide - Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2|Prima's Official Strategy Guide to Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2]] (2001). Page 7. ISBN 0-7615-3237-4/[[Prima's Official Strategy Guide - Legacy of Kain: Defiance|Prima's Official Strategy Guide to Legacy of Kain: Defiance]] (2003). Page 9. ISBN 0-7615-4467-4. Moebius: ~''"Moebius played a pivotal role in Kain’s journey as a fledgling vampire, initially masquerading as a frail and harmless old soothsayer known as the Oracle. In this guise, he choreographed Kain’s every step, leading him to discover one of Moebius’ time-streaming devices, and ultimately embroiling him in a fateful battle between Ottmar’s Army of Hope and the advancing Legions of Nemesis, from the north. Cornered in this losing battle, Kain used his only means to escape—the time-streaming device that he had so conveniently discovered—and found himself hurled nearly 50 years back in history. Hoping to alter the course of Nosgoth’s future, Kain assassinated the young King William the Just, who was destined to become the vicious tyrant known as the Nemesis. His task accomplished, Kain returned to present-day Nosgoth—and realized too late that he had been Moebius’ pawn all along. For his murder of the beloved young king had triggered a genocidal crusade against the vampires of Nosgoth, led by the Time-Streamer Moebius, himself. Kain took his revenge on the Time Guardian—beheading him as a fitting retribution for the countless vampires he had guillotined—but the damage had already been done. Moebius’ brutal crusade had wiped out the vampire races, leaving Kain not only the last surviving vampire in Nosgoth, but the unwitting catalyst of his own species’ extinction."~ Prima Games. [[Prima's Official Strategy Guide - Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2|Prima's Official Strategy Guide to ''Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2]] (2001). Page 6. ISBN 0-7615-3237-4/[[Prima's Official Strategy Guide - Legacy of Kain: Defiance|Prima's Official Strategy Guide to Legacy of Kain: Defiance]] (2003). Page 8. ISBN 0-7615-4467-4.. Recognizing Moebius as 'the Oracle' who had led part of his journey, Kain realized that he had manipulated all along and that his murder of William had provided the catalyst Moebius required to ignite a genocidal hatred of vampires. Identified by Moebius as the last vampire, Kain angrily fought his way through the crowd and vampire hunters to reach and confront Moebius. After killing Moebius's Champion (and apparently confronting figures from other times), Kain was able to dispatch the time-streamer himself, beheading him as Vorador had been. With their leader dead and the vampires reduced to a single individual, the vampire hunting crusades of Moebius army would effectively cease at this point, although the organisation itself would continue to exist and adapt for some time afterward. Legacy By far the most significant impact of Moebius's hunters would be on the vampire populations Vampires: "Nosgoth's vampires are a dying breed, mercilessly persecuted by the Sarafan and the Vampire Hunters. Raziel encounters only a handful of vampires during his travels, and though they're curious about him, they don't consider him a threat." Prima Games. [[Prima's Official Strategy Guide - Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2|Prima's Official Strategy Guide to Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2]](2001). Page 20. ISBN 0-7615-3237-4, as with the death of Vorador, the Vampire generation of the era would be wiped out completely, leaving unique vampire Kain as the only survivor of the entire species. This fact would apparently continue to motivate Kain and the preservation of his species would be cited as a reason for Kain's rejection of the Sacrifice at the Pillars, which caused their collapse. Ultimately Kain would remain the only vampire in Nosgoth for some time, eventually raising his own vampire progeny and giving rise to a new generation of vampires five centuries later in the second and third timelines; though Vorador's resurrection in the fourth timeline would entail with it a revival of the vampire race within two centuries (the fourth timeline would also see the resurrection of Janos, who would remain a Hylden captive until the late-Post-Blood Omen era). For the humans of Nosgoth, the crusades of Moebius's hunters engendered much popular support in it's brief existence, though the brutal methods of the army seems to have caused much suffering to the humans as well as the vampires. The army was noted as "a ruthless persecution" that also targeted "social deviants" and "unusual and unfamiliar people" with them often referred to as a cut-throat mob. The army was also highlighted as "sleazy vicious and driven by greed rather than ideology", with the group typically portrayed as enthusiastic and skilled fighters, but somewhat disorganized and tactically unaware. Despite this, the crusades of Moebius's hunters would be marked into the Post-Blood Omen era with a statue of Moebius holding aloft Vorador's severed head in the ruined Sarafan Stronghold. In the aftermath of the Collapse of the Pillars in the Blood Omen era, the boundaries between dimensions were weakened and Demons began to penetrate into the Spectral and Material Realms Demons: "The Demons plaguing Nosgoth are able to rip through from the Demon Realm into the physical world at will. As the spiritual health of the land declines, the barriers between the Realms are weakened, and become more easily permeable.//Raziel has to contend with several forms of Demon, each armed with its own distinctive attacks, and will often find himself ambushed and trapped by impassable Demon barriers which force him into combat. Demons are also able to shift between Material and Spectral at will, and can thus pursue Raziel from one plane to the next." Crystal Dynamics. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2 manual. pg35 (Eidos Interactive). (2001) Download. Bestiary: Demons: "As the spiritual health of Nosgoth declines, Demons penetrate the Material and Spectral Planes. They can phase in at any time, often creating barriers to prevent Raziel from fleeing. Furthermore, they are relentless in their attacks, even following Raziel into the Spectral Plane. Demons attack in numbers and are the most dangerous foe Raziel faces-though a powered-up Reaver is still more than a match for any Demon." Prima Games. Prima's Official Strategy Guide to Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2(2001).Page 19.ISBN:0-7615-3237-4. With the vampires virtually wiped out, the now-leaderless mercenaries of Moebius's army saw the demons as a greater threat and began to adapt to combat and actively hunt them, becoming Demon hunters by the time Raziel visited the Post-Blood Omen era, a century after the collapse Demon Hunters: "With the vampire threat exterminated, Moebius's mercenary army evolved and turned their attention to the Demons now menacing Nosgoth. These Hunters are more skilled and aggressive than their ancestors.//As with Vampire Hunters, the swordsmen tend to be slower, but more powerful;the pikemen are swift but not as strong; and the cannoneers are formidable from a distance, but have limited close-range fighting ability." Crystal Dynamics. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2 manual. pg35 (Eidos Interactive). (2001) Download. Know the Foe: Demon Hunters: "These warriors turned from vampire hunting to Demon hunting as Nosgoth fell into decline and Demons began entering the Material Plane. Demon hunters behave like their Vampire Hunter predecessors in combat, and they come in sword-, axe-, and cannon -wielding varieties. They can take and dish out more punishment than Vampire Hunters and are smart enough to block certain attacks" Prima Games. Prima's Official Strategy Guide to Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2(2001).Page 50.ISBN:0-7615-3237-4. The demon hunters themselves were notably connected with Moebius's mercenary army Demon Hunters: "With the vampire threat exterminated, Moebius's mercenary army evolved and turned their attention to the Demons now menacing Nosgoth. These Hunters are more skilled and aggressive than their ancestors.//As with Vampire Hunters, the swordsmen tend to be slower, but more powerful;the pikemen are swift but not as strong; and the cannoneers are formidable from a distance, but have limited close-range fighting ability." Crystal Dynamics. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2 manual. pg35 (Eidos Interactive). (2001) Download. Demon Huntersat Dark Chronicle (by Marie Walter). Know the Foe: Demon Hunters: "These warriors turned from vampire hunting to Demon hunting as Nosgoth fell into decline and Demons began entering the Material Plane. Demon hunters behave like their Vampire Hunter predecessors in combat, and they come in sword-, axe-, and cannon -wielding varieties. They can take and dish out more punishment than Vampire Hunters and are smart enough to block certain attacks" Prima Games. Prima's Official Strategy Guide to Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2(2001).Page 50.ISBN:0-7615-3237-4, bearing similar disorganised tactics to their forebears and even bearing a symbol that seemed to be a a simplified, hand-drawn version of the symbol of the mercenary army (worn about the waist of the hunters - The symbol is noticeably less obviously displayed than those of the other hunter factions) Role Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain Moebius's Mercenary Army and its origins first appeared in the final stages of Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain as Kain investigated the manipulations of Time Guardian Moebius. Following several enigmatic hints (including by Moebius himself disguised as the 'Oracle', but against the counsel of Vorador), Kain became involved in a sub-quest to rouse Ottmar to defend Willendorf against the Legions of the Nemesis. Witnessing the final victory of the Nemesis at the Battle of the Last Stand Kain was transported by a time-streaming device to a period in Nosgoth's past when 'the Nemesis' was still the boy-king William the Just. Realizing that Moebius had corrupted the young boy-king, Kain seized his chance to murder William, changing history (With both combatants armed with the Soul Reaver blade). After murdering William, Kain returned to the Blood Omen era, believing he had thwarted Moebius's plans. When Kain returned to the present in the final stages of Blood Omen the Vampire Hunters were his main enemies and his first clue that something was amiss with the new timeline. The hunters themselves were quick and skilled fighters, but seemed less organised and not as tough or powerful as other soldier enemies. As Kain discovered the fallen Nemesis Colossus and heard the tales of the villagers of Stahlberg Stahlberg - in the "New Nosgoth" Villager: "The hunt is over. Vampires will plague us no more!"//'Villager:' ''"We've captured their champion. Ah, there'll be a feast tonight!"//'Villager:' "Peace at last! Since the vampires slaughtered our great king William the Just, we have had no rest!"//'Villager:' "Fifty years, we sought to fulfill our promise to our fallen king. And now, our covenant comes to pass."//'Villager:' "When can we truly live in peace? When will the vampires be gone?" Silicon Knights / Crystal Dynamics. Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. (Crystal Dynamics). PlayStation. (November 15, 1996) Transcript.he realized that his murder of William had ignited the citizens' genocidal hatred of vampires. Following the sounds of cheers and smelling outpourings of vampire blood, Kain traveled to a fortress south of Stahlberg and came upon the final victory of Moebius's hunters as a crowd of angry peasants cheered on the execution of Vorador, the last of the eras vampires. After Vorador was beheaded, Moebius pointed Kain out to the crowd as the last of the vampires. Realizing that he had been manipulated by Moebius all along, Kain angrily battled to reach Moebius. After defeating the villagers, Kain would be confronted by several of the vampire hunters and later Moebius would summon a significantly more powerful vampire hunter as a representative of the present. Regardless of their interference, Kain was able to kill Moebius, rendering the vampire hunters leaderless. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2 Moebius's hunters would return in Soul Reaver 2 as Raziel arrived in the hunter-inhabited Sarafan Stronghold in the Pre-Blood Omen era, (thirty years before Kain's quest in Blood Omen). Examining the stronghold Raziel discovered much iconography related to his former Sarafan heritage as well as a chapel dedicated to William's martyrdom as the catalyst of the vampire hunters' crusade. The Vampire Hunters would be the first and most basic of the enemies encountered by Raziel, and as with their Blood Omen incarnation, although trained, they were typically less organised and less powerful enemies Bestiary: Vampire Hunters: "These warriors are the mainstays of Moebius's trained army, sworn to eradicate Vampires from Nosgoth. They exist after the time of the Sarafan Warriors." Prima Games. Prima's Official Strategy Guide to Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2(2001).Page 17.ISBN 0-7615-3237-4 Know the Foe: Vampire Hunters: "Vampire Hunters come in three varieties-swordsmen, pikemen and cannoneers.//'Swordsmen''' wield a heavy, two handed blade, and they inflict more damage of the three, though their attacks are slow. Their stronger attack is an overhead chop; sidestep these strikes and counter.//'Pikemen' are quick and can hit you from longer range. The wide, sweeping attacks they sometimes execute make sidestepping difficult-instead, keep your distance and close with a lunge attack and then a combo.//'Cannoneers' attack from long-range with their cannons. They frequently appear with pikemen and swordsmen, providing support. Theri cannons are easy to dodge, so rush in close and attack. Cannoneers don't last more than a few Reaver strikes."'' Prima Games. [[Prima's Official Strategy Guide - Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2|Prima's Official Strategy Guide to Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2]] (2001). Page 22. ISBN 0-7615-3237-4. The hunters would continue to attack Raziel as he ventured out of the Stronghold, but coming across the remains of the hunters victims he would quickly recognize the crusade as a "ruthless persecution". Meeting with the vampire Vorador in the Swamp, Raziel was able to uncover the vampire perspective Moebius hunts and Vorador acknowledged they had "nearly accomplished what the Sarafan could not". Vorador was already resigned to his fate - apparently greatly effected by the original Sarafan crusades and regarding the renewed vampire purge as a "sick drama" brought on by "Vampires meddling in the affairs of men". As Raziel traveled to the future of the Post-Blood Omen era, he found evidence of the end of Moebius's crusade, discovering in the ruins of the Sarafan Stronghold a statue of Moebius holding aloft the head of Vorador, memorializing the final kill of Moebius's crusade (appropriately placed next to the chapel dedicated to William). In this era, Raziel could also encounter the 'descendants' of the People's Army, the Demon hunters, who had adapted to combat the prevalent threat of Demons in the era. Legacy of Kain: Defiance The Merecenary army returned at the height of their purges in Legacy of Kain: Defiance and when Raziel found his way to the Material Realm in the Cemetery, the presence of Moebius's hunters was enough for him to realize the era he now inhabited. Moebius's mercenaries would be the most prevalent of the enemies encountered by Raziel in human areas and as in previous appearances, they were skilled and enthusiastic, but lacked discipline and organization (especially when compared to the tactical awareness of their Sarafan predecessors) Vampire Hunters: "In the days of Moebius’ genocidal reign over Nosgoth, freelance Vampire Hunters replaced the Sarafan as the scourge of the blood-sucking menace. Sleazy, vicious and driven by greed rather than ideology, these lone wolves wander the land in small packs, bringing brutal ends to the lives of any unfortunate Vampires they happen across. They typically claim grisly trophies as proof of their success. They consider all unusual and unfamiliar people guilty until proven innocent and are not reluctant to murder social deviants on the slight chance of terminating another night-stalker. Vampire Hunters are enthusiastic and skilled fighters, but undisciplined. They never fight in the tight strategic formations of their Sarafan predecessors, preferring small groups with little organizational structure." Prima Games. [[Prima's Official Strategy Guide - Legacy of Kain: Defiance|Prima's Official Strategy Guide to Legacy of Kain: Defiance]] (2003). Page 98. ISBN 0-7615-4467-4. Vampire Hunters: Strategy "Like the other groups, the key is to assign priority to the spell casters. Your next goal should be the projectile lobbing pests. These enemies try to stay out of range but close in on them and take them out. While it may be hard to avoid the large Juggernaut it is easier to take him out once your Reaver is charger with Light or Air. Use the other enemies for fodder and then easily take out the Juggernaut by blinding or spinning him around. Also, he has very low endurance and will eventually become weak enough to kill with simple repeating slashes. The Mercenary will try to use its range to their advantage, so dodge to the side and let them have it."//''Fatalized:'' Yes (Juggernaut has no Fatal)//''Thrown:'' Lift, Acquire, Force, Last Combo//''TK Throw:'' Yes//''TK Slow:'' No//''Possessable:'' Yes//''Burnable:'' Yes//''Encountered by:'' Kain/Raziel//''Plane:'' Material"'' Prima Games. [[Prima's Official Strategy Guide - Legacy of Kain: Defiance|Prima's Official Strategy Guide to Legacy of Kain: Defiance]] (2003). Page 95. ISBN 0-7615-4467-4.. With Raziel's journey once again leading to Vorador, Raziel met Ariel at the Pillars, who opined that " Moebius's mob had done its work.", but directed Raziel to Vorador's Mansion. Racing to beat the mercenaries to Vorador, Raziel arrived at the mansion but in stark contrast to the populated mansion observed in Blood Omen, Raziel found the estate abandoned (save a few statue and revenant enemies). When Raziel met with Vorador he found the old vampire apparently waiting for Moebius's hunters to arrive. Though resigned to his fate, Vorador offered Raziel a chance to redeem himself by finding the Heart of Darkness and reviving Janos Audron, seeing it as their last hope. By the time Raziel returned however, Vorador's estate had been overrun with Vampire hunters, including Moebius himself, and old vampire captured, though not without a "considerable price in blood". As Moebius left to attend to Vorador's execution, the vampire hunters continued to impede Raziel's progress by demolishing parts of the mansion. Eventually Raziel was able to reach the undiscovered crypt of Janos and used the heart to resurrect Janos ensuring that at least one other vampire would survive the purges of Moebius's hunters; though he would soon be possessed by the Hylden Lord and used to further the Hylden plans. Membership and Forces Leadership and Unique Forces Moebius is the only known leader of the Mercenary Army, however significant known individuals in the army include Vorador's executioner and the champion summoned by Moebius to represent "the present" in his boss battle - a particularly skilled vampire hunter with health and power far surpassing the ordinary troops. SR2-Intro2-Moebius.png|Leader of the People's Army Moebius in SR2 BO1-VoradorBeheaded.jpg|The executioner in BO1 BO1-NPC-MoebiusChampion.gif|Moebius's champion in BO1 Troops The troops of Moebius's people's army encountered by protagonists varied between games, maintaining their 'enthusiastic' and undisciplined style throughout. When they were first encountered in Blood Omen, Kain would face hunters armed with sickles, stakes, torches and water balloons; apparently targeting vampire weaknesses ~''"a new enemy to face: the Vampire Hunter. Your slaying of William the Just 50 years ago did more than destroy the Legion of the Nemesis - it also turned the pouplation against vampires. Your sword arm cannot yet rest yet. In fact, Vampire Hunters are quick and deadly."~ Prima Games / Ian Osborne. ''Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain: Official Game Secrets (1996). Page 122. ISBN 0-7615-0363-3 . The Vampire Hunters in Soul Reaver 2, in the earlier Post-Blood Omen era had much less refined attacking methods, combining pikemen Bestiary: Vampire Hunters: Pikemen: "The halberd-wielding Hunters are quick and strike from relatively long range. Dodge and counter, or lunge in quickly and attack from close quarters."//'Strengths:' "Long range, wide attack arc often results in Raziel being hit even if he sidesteps."//'Weaknesses:' "They're vulnerable to lunge attacks and crouching power strikes." Prima Games. [[Prima's Official Strategy Guide - Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2|Prima's Official Strategy Guide to Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2(2001)]]. Page 17. ISBN 0-7615-3237-4and swordsmen Bestiary: Vampire Hunters: Swordsmen: "Some Hunters are armed with large, heavy swords. These warriors inflict more damage than their halberd-wielding brethren, but their attacks are slower and have shorter range. Dash in and hack with the Reaver, or dodge their slow strikes and make them pay."//'Strengths:' "They have a good attack strength and a powerful overhead slash."//'Weaknesses:' "With lesser range than Pikeman, they're easily sidestepped and vulnerable to crouching power strikes." Prima Games. [[Prima's Official Strategy Guide - Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2|Prima's Official Strategy Guide to Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2(2001)]]. Page 17. ISBN 0-7615-3237-4, with ranged-attacking cannoneers Bestiary: Vampire Hunters: Cannoneers: "Cannoneers rarely appear alone; they usually support more conventional melee units. Cannoneers hang back and attack from a long-range with projectiles - run past the halberd and sword hunters and kill the cannoneers first. In hand-to-hand combat, they're almost helpless."//'Strengths:' "They have long-range projectile attacks."//'Weaknesses:' "Their melee combat attacks do very little damage, and they're easy to kill with just a few hits." Prima Games. [[Prima's Official Strategy Guide - Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2|Prima's Official Strategy Guide to Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2(2001)]]. Page 17. ISBN 0-7615-3237-4and long-range alert attack dogs Attack Dogs: "Both the Vampire Hunters and their descendants, the Demon Hunters, use attack dogs which they've outfitted with cruel-looking weapons. Dogs are able to sense Raziel from longer range than most enemies." Crystal Dynamics. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2 manual. pg34 (Eidos Interactive). (2001) Download. Bestiary: Vampire Hunters: Attack Dogs: "Vampire Hunters have trained attack dogs to assist them in flushing out the undead. Man's best friend may not translate into Vampire's worst enemy, but these dogs are a nuisance. They'll spot Raziel from a greater distance than any human can. Standard attacks dispatch a dog. They have souls, too."//'Strenghts:' "They have a long line-of-sight, and are fast."//'Weaknesses:' "They're easy to kill and inflict little damage." Prima Games. Prima's Official Strategy Guide to Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2(2001).Page 17.ISBN:0-7615-3237-4 Know the Foe: Attack Dogs: "These trained killers help hunters sniff out vampires. Attack Dogs notice you before their handlers do and rush in to assault. A few swift kicks should take care of them." Prima Games. Prima's Official Strategy Guide to Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2(2001).Page 27.ISBN 0-7615-3237-4(with similar methods that utilized by other 'hunter' factions in that game). Defiance's return to the Blood Omen era saw the hunters adapted to a variety of different roles including mid-range mercenaries Vampire Hunter Mercenary: Description: " Mercenary Vampire Hunters are almost always female, and fight with a long-bladed staff. This weapon allows them to inflict a crushing blow from a distance. They will use the extended reach of their weapons to keep a healthy distance between themselves and their prey." Prima Games. [[Prima's Official Strategy Guide - Legacy of Kain: Defiance|Prima's Official Strategy Guide to Legacy of Kain: Defiance]] (2003). Page 98. ISBN 0-7615-4467-4., kick-attacking ascetics Vampire Hunter Ascetic: Description: "The Ascetic Vampire Hunter has a unique fighting style using only his feet. When hit, he becomes enraged, attacking with a flurry of powerful kick attacks." Prima Games. [[Prima's Official Strategy Guide - Legacy of Kain: Defiance|Prima's Official Strategy Guide to Legacy of Kain: Defiance]] (2003). Page 98. ISBN 0-7615-4467-4., ranged-attacking pillagers Vampire Hunter Pillager: Description: " The Pillagers are quick, mobile support fighters, who like to stand in the back of a battle and lob projectile firebombs at their enemies. They can also roll into combat range for a quick melee attack when their comrades have fallen." Prima Games. [[Prima's Official Strategy Guide - Legacy of Kain: Defiance|Prima's Official Strategy Guide to Legacy of Kain: Defiance]] (2003). Page 98. ISBN 0-7615-4467-4., heavy-attacking juggernauts Vampire Hunter Juggernaut: Description: " The Juggernaut Vampire Hunter is a giant-sized human wielding a massive sledgehammer. When he is attacked, he immediately counters with a crushing blow of his hammer, the momentum of which makes it nearly unstoppable. The Juggernaut’s greatest weakness is being forced into an extended fight. He will grow slower and weaker as he takes damage, eventually becoming so tired that he lacks the energy for a counterattack." Prima Games. [[Prima's Official Strategy Guide - Legacy of Kain: Defiance|Prima's Official Strategy Guide to Legacy of Kain: Defiance]] (2003). Page 98. ISBN 0-7615-4467-4. and spell-casting sorceresses Vampire Hunter Sorceress: Description: "Vampire Hunter Sorceresses are able to cast powerful fireball attacks at their opponents. When enemies comes close, Sorceresses have the ability to either teleport away from them or use a radial blast attack to knock their opponents off their feet. For defense, Sorceresses have the ability to cast a protective glyph shield around themselves. These floating runes will absorb all damage until they are destroyed. In addition to these combat abilities, Sorceresses are able to support their comrades with spells, which enhance their abilities, including://•''Amplify Damage: Displayed as a red lightening bolt on the weapon, this causes attacks to do more damage in combat.//•''Regeneration:'' The Sorceress has the ability to heal groups of allies. This appears as a gathering yellow glow around the affected ally.//•''TK Shield:'' Protects one ally from the mental TK powers of his prey with this shield spell. It appears as a violet glow around the affected ally."'' Prima Games. [[Prima's Official Strategy Guide - Legacy of Kain: Defiance|Prima's Official Strategy Guide to Legacy of Kain: Defiance]] (2003). Page 98. ISBN 0-7615-4467-4.. BO1-NPC-VampireHunterSickle.gif|Sickle wielding Vampire hunter in BO1 BO1-NPC-VampireHunterStakes.gif|Stake wielding Vampire hunter in BO1 BO1-NPC-VampireHunterTorch.gif|Torch wielding Vampire Hunter in BO1 BO1-NPC-VampireHunterWaterBalloon.gif|Water balloon wielding Vampire Hunter in BO1 SR2-Merc-Dog.jpg|Vampire Hunter Attack Dog in SR2 SR2-Merc-M2.jpg|Vampire Hunter Cannoneer in SR2 SR2-MercF1.jpg|Vampire Hunter Pikemen in SR2 SR2-MercM1.jpg|Vampire Hunter Swordsmen in SR2 Def-VHAscetic-Small.png|Vampire Hunter Ascetic in Defiance Defiance-BonusMaterial-EnemyArt-Renders-04-VampireHunterJuggernaut.png|Vampire Hunter Juggernaut in Defiance Defiance-BonusMaterial-EnemyArt-Renders-02-VampireHunterMercenary.png|Vampire Hunter Mercenary in Defiance Defiance-BonusMaterial-EnemyArt-Renders-01-VampireHunterPillager.png|Vampire Hunter Pillager in Defiance Defiance-BonusMaterial-EnemyArt-Renders-03-VampireHunterSorceress.png|Vampire Hunter Sorceress in Defiance Notes *Moebius's hunters appear to have greatly revered the crusades of the legendary Sarafan brotherhood, with the army re-inhabiting the former Sarafan Stronghold and lionizing their predecessors (as well as William the Just) in idolized depictions. Moebius even comments that they "strive to honor the memory of the Sarafan" with their crusade. *Given the laws of Nosgoth's time-stream, it would appear that Moebius's army effectively substituted for the Legions of the Nemesis in the First timeline (also made up of William's subjects). *The presence of Moebius's hunters has apparent effect on the populace of Vorador's Mansion in the Blood Omen era, as When Kain passes through the mansion in the First timeline it is populated with several enemies, including three discreet 'vampire bride' variants; When the mansion is revisited in the Fourth timeline however, Raziel finds it virtually abandoned, apart from Vorador himself. *There are some discrepancies in the timing of the events of the order. In Blood Omen Kain's murder of William is acknowledged as fifty years before the Blood Omen era; however several Soul Reaver 2 sources indicate that the Pre-Blood Omen era Raziel arrives in at the start of that game, explicitly set thirty years before the Blood Omen era, is only a decade after William's murder (for a total of forty years between William's murder and the Blood Omen era) The original Blood Omen scripts also refers to the forty year figure. Vorador's execution also seems to have subtle changes, with it implied in Blood Omen (with Kain hearing several cheers and smelling vampire blood at each) that Vorador's is not the only Vampire execution that took place at the event; whilst in Defiance, Vorador openly acknowledges himself as "the last of my kind" prior to his capture by Moebius's troops. It is unclear these discrepancies are retcons or subtle time-stream changes. Gallery Appearances * Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain * Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2 * Legacy of Kain: Defiance References }} Category:Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain Category:Factions Category:Inhabitants Category:Legacy of Kain: Defiance Category:Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2